Ghana is preparing to open its 5G market to competition, with MTN Group and Telecel Group set to bid for new licences after the government moved to end the exclusive rights previously granted to a state-backed wholesale provider.
The planned auction, expected to begin within weeks, follows the government's decision to revoke the exclusive concession awarded to Next Gen Infraco (NGIC), which had partnered with Radisys Corp., a subsidiary of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries, to build Ghana's 5G infrastructure, according to Bloomberg.
Government ends exclusive model
The exclusive licence, originally scheduled to run until 2034, has come under scrutiny after NGIC struggled to meet rollout targets.
As of March, the company had deployed just 49 operational 5G sites, far below the government's target of 1,200 sites by 2027.
